Campaign implementation is typically straightforward and requires very little time and resources on your side. However, to unlock the power of data-driven advertising you need to successfully leap one simple but crucial hurdle – site tagging. Given the right resources and priority, tagging can be completed in as little as two hours. To ensure rapid implementation and to reap the benefits of incremental sales as soon as possible, it is important that the implementation process is given its due attention.

Site-tagging basics

A site tag is a short piece of code that enables an analysis of an anonymous user’s behavior and interactions on the advertiser’s website. There are two main types of tags: Home page, category and product page tags provide data about website visits and interactions by an anonymous user. This data is later leveraged to serve the same user a personalized ad on the advertising provider’s media network.

Conversion tags are deployed in order to identify the data relating to a transaction. Conversion tags are necessary for Cost Per Action (CPA) advertising models in which – as opposed to the CPC model – the advertiser only pays for specified actions, such as a purchase.

Tags are either inserted directly into the site, or handled via a tag management solution.

Direct site tagging is considered to be a more comprehensive method for enabling the advertising provider to access anonymous user browsing data. However, direct access to the website may be restricted to specific time slots during site release or update cycles. If a campaign is scheduled to launch on a date that does not coincide with the site’s update schedule, the campaign launch date may be delayed.

Tagging via a tag management solution does not have to coincide with the website’s update window frame and there are further benefits such as A/B testing and performance tracking. Additional resources may be needed to manage the third party solution, and the solution provider may charge for the service.

Site tagging implementation pitfalls

Several tagging pitfalls can slow down the implementation process and delay the launch of your campaign.

The first is prioritization. Consider this: Your site’s development team has received the tags and the implementation guidelines from your advertising provider, but they are busy with other site maintenance tasks and they may not have been aware of the implications of any delays to your bottom line. The end result: they deprioritize it.

The second pitfall is tagging errors such as placing a variable in the wrong location, or getting a variable confused with a similar variable. These errors apply to both direct tagging and tagging within the tag management solution.

A third potential pitfall may occur if the site’s development team does not insert all the tags – especially the conversion tag. As mentioned earlier, the conversion tag is a vital component of CPA-driven campaigns. It is important to update the development team about this, as they may only be familiar with implementing tags for CPC campaigns.

Getting tagging right

Follow these simple steps for complete implementation success:

With direct tagging, ensure that the task is given high priority by your site’s development team, and that they are onboard with you with the understanding that a couple of hours’ work on their side will lead to potentially major benefits for your bottom line.

Implement all the tags, especially the conversion tags. The implementation should be executed accurately and be error free.

Communicate website release or update cycles with your online advertising provider to ensure that they deliver the tags in time for implementation to be completed on time.

If you are using outsourced site development services or a tag management solution provider, make sure that they are aware of the above points and are giving the implementation work the attention it requires.

Tagging and site performance

If you are in the process of selecting an online advertising provider, consider selecting a provider that has highly scalable infrastructure and deploys asynchronous tag loading. This means that tags load as they’re ready to load, in parallel with other page elements. The bottom line: page loading time, site performance, and the end user experience are unaffected by the site’s tags.

Wrapping up

Data-driven advertising solutions have the power to transform your bottom line. By allocating the necessary resources, assigning the implementation process a high priority , and ensuring that your site’s development team is onboard with you – especially with the site tagging process –- you will be able to go live as soon as possible and begin to reap the rewards.

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Michael Swope is the Managing Director of myThings in North America, overseeing all of myThings’ operations in the US and Canada. Previously, Mr. Swope was Vice President of National Accounts at FetchBack. Mr. Swope holds a B.A. in Business & Organizational Communication from the University of Akron.